NCJ Number
176451
Journal
Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Dated: February 1999 Pages: 41-72
Date Published
February 1999
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Data collected from 2,095 secondary school students in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 1994 were used to test Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime as an explanation for gender differences in juvenile delinquency.
Abstract
The participants included 961 males and 1,134 females between ages 11 and 18 years. The study used separate psychological factors, including a preference for risk seeking, impulsivity, temper, present-orientedness, and carelessness, as measures of self control. Additional measures of the construct were taken from the frequency of self-reported smoking and drinking. The research controlled for elements of delinquent opportunity by including measures of parental or other adult supervision. These measures and their interactions were used to predict self-reported general delinquency, property offenses, violence, and drug law offenses. Results provided partial support for the general theory and revealed relationships between measures of self-control and delinquency that varied by magnitude across genders and for different offense types. Findings suggested the need for further research into the general theory's explanations of gender differences. Tables, footnotes, appended tables, and 80 references (Author abstract modified)